AUCOIN DOES IT AGAIN, HELPS BEARS TO 5-2 WIN OVER PHANTOMS

January 7, 2012

HERSHEY, Pa. – Jacob Micflikier broke a 2-2 tie and ignited a three-goal physical third period, sending the HERSHEY BEARS to their 20th win of the season with a 5-2 decision over the Adirondack Phantoms on Saturday night at GIANT Center.

The Phantoms got on the board first at 8:13. Andrew Rowe looked to make a pass in front to a teammate but the puck deflected off of a BEARS stick and behind Dany Sabourin for the 1-0 lead. But the hosts answered back later in the period while killing the third Phantoms power play of the frame. Chris Bourque took the puck from Keith Aucoin in the neutral zone, skated to the left circle and let a low shot go that eluded Phantoms netminder Michael Leighton at 19:27.

The BEARS took the lead at 2:29 of the second when Boyd Kane tipped a Patrick McNeill shot over Leighton’s shoulder. Matthew Ford earned the secondary assist. But the Phantoms evened the score at 3:57 when Tyler Brown finished off a pass from Jason Akeson.

With the score tied early in the third period, the BEARS wasted no time on their fourth power play. Off of the offensive zone faceoff, Aucoin passed to Bourque whose shot from the slot was kicked out by Leighton. The rebound came to Micflikier who hurried an off wing shot from the right circle past Leighton’s blocker at 1:18.

The BEARS broke the game open with two defensemen joining in on the score sheet. Julien Brouillette provided insurance after following up the rebound of Cody Eakin’s shot on net at 8:02, firing the puck over Leighton’s glove. McNeill then joined a three-on-two rush, took a perfect feed from Aucoin and had a tap-in at the top of the crease at 9:54.

Things became ugly after Joel Rechlicz put a hit on Adirondack’s Tom Sestito in the BEARS offensive zone. The two players stared each other down as Sestito headed to his bench, then proceeded to throw punches from the bench after a stoppage in play. The result was a combined 120 minutes in penalties and six ejections.

Sabourin made 28 saves to win his ninth game of the season, improving to 9-4-2. Leighton falls to 12-12-0, turning aside 24 of 29 shots.

The BEARS finished the night 1-for-5 on the power play and 4-for-4 on the penalty kill.

With the win, the BEARS reclaim sole possession of first place in the East Division and a tie at the top of the Eastern Conference. HERSHEY’s record now stands at 20-8-4-3 on the season, as the club has picked up points in six consecutive games (4-0-1-1).

The BEARS will play again tomorrow night at 5:00 PM at GIANT Center, hosting the Rochester Americans for the first of two meetings this season. Individual tickets for this and all regular-season home games are on sale now by calling (717) 508-BEAR, or by visiting ticketmaster.com.

HERSHEY BEARS season ticket plans are also on sale now by calling (717) 508-BEAR, with many different flexible plans still available. Season ticket plans start as low as $160.

Game Recap: http://theahl.com/stats/official-game-report.php?game_id=1009159

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